Finding a leader...or building a team?

 

 

For too long selecting a leader was essentially ‘who’s next in line’.  The attitude was that if you were good at doing your job you should be good at leading others in the same department or division.  Unsurprisingly, this rather cavalier method often led to disastrous results.

In my opinion the search for leaders and, by extension, for team members should follow the “Principle of Three C’s”.  These C’s are listed in order of importance.

C1 is character.

A leader must be one whose moral, ethical and legal ‘compass’ is properly aligned to integrity.  After all, this individual sets the standards and expectations for everyone in their scope of supervision.  And depending upon the level of responsibility associated with the role, this person may also be demonstrating those standards internally to others outside their direct scope and externally to clients and suppliers. Someone lacking character will not attract others who have it.  Furthermore someone lacking character will not be supported by those whom they expect to influence.  In short, an absence of character will directly lead to failure, sooner than later!

C2 is chemistry.

Leaders seldom accomplish something by themselves.  Rather they rely on the collective efforts of all the team members.  If there are members whose attitudes and behavior are disruptive to the overall chemistry of the team, it will be a constant uphill battle to accomplish the goals set out. I’m not suggesting a team of clones, but there must be a collective understanding that every member is there to contribute to the overall good by maximizing their own contributions.  Think of it like a rowing crew of 8.  When everyone is pulling in the same direction the boat literally flies across the surface of the water.  But when one oar is disengaged, the boat struggles to stay on course.  Success is a function of the sum of the efforts and chemistry – the shared belief in the values and the objective- makes this possible.

C3 is competence.

Many believe that this should be the most important.  I believe that an absence of C1 and/or C2 demonstrates a lack of competence to begin with. If we assert that an ability to ‘do’ leads naturally to an ability to ‘lead’ then we have a fundamental misunderstanding of leadership.  Clearly some functions need at least some measure of competency.  No one leads a team of lawyers without knowledge of the law.  Nor does one lead a team of medical professionals without a foundation of health care.  But does a hospital need a doctor to lead, or someone with a broad understanding of the delivery of health services.  I submit that it is the latter.

Whether selecting a leader or building a team, these principles should be your ‘North Star’ in guiding you to the best candidates.

Remember this truth... ‘Reputation is what others think of you, character is who you really are…’

Starting there sets you on a solid foundation for success!

Let's talk 'cost of living'

 

Across the news we are hearing the constant beat of the drums complaining about the cost of living.  I don’t mean to diminish those realities, but let’s have some perspective. 

Here are two examples and two of my heroes.

 

Cecil Thomas Brown, my father, was a teenager growing up during the Great Depression and then enlisted in the RCAF and served until war’s end in 1945.  He didn’t know where his next meal would come from or if he would live through the war.  His ‘cost of living’ was to sacrifice his youth and early manhood to serve all of us.

Barclay Newsome, whose name I proudly share, was Cecil’s best friend.  He too grew up through the Great Depression and enlisted with Cec in the RCAF.  As the picture notes, his ‘cost of living’ was a hell of a lot more than a few more dollars at the gas pump.

At this time of year, I am reminded of these two heroes and the thousands…nay millions…whose cost of living is something most of us can never measure.

Thanks boys, we owe you one!

Silence is not an alibi for accountability!

 

We live in a world where too often opinions are shaped by the pronouncements of the most radical in our society, whether that comes from the right or the left of the spectrum.  Unfortunately these pronouncements are, more often than not, short on truth but long on volume.  We are wise to remember the words of Daniel Patrick Moynihan who stated years ago ‘…you are entitled to your own opinions.  But you are not entitled to your own facts…’

It concerns me that too many leaders are not engaging in this dialogue.  One does not have to be politically motivated to speak out and challenge the lies and half-truths that are advanced; nor does one need to be adept on social media platforms.  NO, one simply needs to speak out and accept the responsibility that comes with a position of leadership. No forum is too small or too large to advance the truth.  Ultimately your silence is not an alibi for the accountability that comes with your position.

‘Ah’ says the silent one.  ‘I am only trying to be tolerant of others opinions’. 

Well here’s the reality.  The opposite of tolerance is not intolerance.  It is INDIFFERENCE.   If you sat in a bar and watched as someone drank themselves into insobriety you could claim that you were being tolerant of their choices.  But if that same person then left the bar and was involved in a fatal car crash was it due to your tolerance of drinking or your indifference.  When you had the opportunity to make a difference based on the facts…and you chose not to…that’s on YOU!

Leadership demands that we stand for what is right and call out that which is wrong.  You are not doing it because of what it will benefit you in the opinion of others.  Your motivation must be entirely altruistic. 

Too many have for too long simply sat on their hands and chosen not to be counted.  Those who fade to black when given the opportunity to shine are not worthy of the call to lead.

We are at a crossroads where we must be championed by the character of our leaders.  Embracing the MORAL…ETHICAL…and LEGAL priorities upon which we founded our cultures, and which are now most under attack, is the path forward.  Our failure to do so will only lead to the disintegration that is happening now.

Silence is not an alibi for accountability…and truth needs no alibi!